News & events from 2026

Professor Oliver Bandmann has been announced as the Chair of a new UK-wide research collaboration advancing Parkinson’s disease care through the development of promising new treatments and precision diagnostics.

The Parkinson’s disease Translational Research Collaboration (PD-TRC), funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and supported by four major charities, is the first of eight UK TRCs to focus on Parkinson’s disease. 

Its key purpose will be to bring together UK expertise and infrastructure, delivered through 17 centres of excellence across academia and the NHS, to strengthen collaboration in ground-breaking translational Parkinson’s disease research. 

To read more, please visit the Sheffield Teaching Hospitals news page.

(April 2026)

After 20 years, we are saying goodbye to our amazing Director, Professor Chris Newman, who is now retiring.

Chris leaves behind a legacy to be truly proud of – helping to establish the CRF and being there to open it back in 2006, supporting us to successfully host the UKCRF Network Annual Conference in 2014, and ensuring we achieved, and have continued to achieve NIHR status and funding since 2011.

We continue to be proud to be a NIHR facility, recognised for our excellent trial delivery standards, exceptional workforce, and our ongoing commitment to EDI and PPIE. Chris’ drive and commitment to our strategic vision have been invaluable.

Thank you for everything, Chris! All the very best in your well-deserved retirement.

(March 2026)

A major international clinical trial is underway to help people with type 1 diabetes regain crucial warning signs of dangerously low blood sugar levels.

The study, led in the UK by Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in collaboration with the University of Sheffield, University of Leicester and University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, is part of a multinational programme funded by the US National Institutes of Health.

Known as the CLEAR (Closed Loop and Education for Hypoglycaemia Awareness) trial, the research will compare three cutting-edge approaches to restoring the body’s natural ability to detect low blood glucose levels.

To read more, please visit the Sheffield Teaching Hospitals news page.

(March 2026)

A major new study investigating the safest and most effective way to monitor blood sugar levels during labour in women with gestational diabetes has opened at Jessop Wing,  

The GILD (Glucose Control in Labour with Diabetes) trial, which is being funded by a National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) grant, could shape future national diabetes management during labour. 

Researchers will examine if less frequent finger-prick blood glucose testing combined with monitoring of a wider glucose target range is as effective as the current standard of hourly testing.  

Gestational diabetes is a common pregnancy complication that causes high blood sugar levels, potentially impacting both maternal and infant health. During labour those diagnosed with the condition are typically monitored closely and may receive insulin if needed to maintain blood glucose within a recommended target range. This reduces the risk of complications for their baby, particularly neonatal hypoglycaemia, or low blood sugar after birth.  

To read more, please visit the Sheffield Teaching Hospitals news page.

(March 2026)

A woman who watched her own mother endure the debilitating effects of multiple sclerosis (MS) for more than 20 years and has recently been diagnosed with the disease herself said joining a new vaccine trial targeting a possible cause of the condition was an “obvious choice”.  

Liz Hutchinson, 48, of Chesterfield, has become the first person in the region – and one of the first in the UK – to sign up to the Horizon trial at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. 

The ground breaking trial, which is running in up to 10 sites in the UK including the Royal Hallamshire Hospital, is investigating whether an mRNA jab, designed to target Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), could offer a novel treatment pathway for the relapsing-remitting form of MS. 

Researchers are exploring this avenue given that EBV, best known for causing glandular fever, is present in almost all individuals with MS and is believed to play a significant role in the condition’s development. 

The virus, contracted by most people by adulthood, remains dormant in the body for life but can reactivate. 

The trial, which is running in up to 10 sites in the UK including the Royal Hallamshire Hospital, is being led nationally by the University of Edinburgh and is sponsored by the pharmaceutical company Moderna. 

To read more, please visit the Sheffield Teaching Hospitals news page.

(March 2026)

People across South Yorkshire are amongst the first in the country to have greater opportunities to take part in pioneering dementia research, thanks to a new £3 million nationwide investment from Alzheimer’s Society to embed dedicated dementia research nurses within the UK Dementia Trials Network (UKDTN).   

There will be a fleet of dedicated Alzheimer’s Society UKDTN research nurses across the country, focused on boosting the number and diversity of people taking part in vital dementia research studies.  

Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the first UKDTN sites to recruit a dementia research nurse, with up to 20 sites across the UK expected to be set up over the next few years.  Dementia is the UK’s biggest killer, and one in three people born today will develop the condition in their lifetime. Despite the urgent need to find new ways to diagnose and treat it, dementia research currently lags far behind other diseases and medical conditions. 

To read more, please visit the Sheffield Teaching Hospitals news page.

(February 2026)

Groundbreaking ‘at home’ technology aimed at improving the lives of stroke survivors is to feature on BBC Tech Now, the BBC’s flagship technology show. 

Airing Saturday 14 February, presenter Shiona McCallum visits Sheffield’s Royal Hallamshire Hospital to find out more about the Triceps trial, which could offer a simple and cost-effective solution to one of the most common and debilitating consequences of a stroke. 

In the trial patients living with persistent arm and hand weakness following a stroke use a specialised device and connected earpiece to stimulate the vagus nerve (a major nerve that connects the brain to the body) to strengthen hand and arm mobility. The device is currently being trialled in 19 NHS sites across the country. 

To read more, please visit the Sheffield Teaching Hospitals news page.

The BBC Tech Now piece will be available at this link shortly after broadcast: BBC News – Tech Now, 14/02/2026   

(February 2026)

Innovative research led by Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has been spotlighted in a special report published by the Yorkshire Post. 

Published in the Post’s Postscript daily pullout, the feature highlighted the difference healthcare studies and trials make to the lives of people across the region as the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) marks its 20th anniversary. 

As well as highlighting the vital role the NIHR network and Yorkshire research infrastructure plays in improving health across the region, Assistant Features Editor Laura Reid looks at cutting-edge research taking place across the region. 

The groundbreaking Oceanic (pictured) and UPSIDE trials are among the case studies featured.  

To read more, please visit the Sheffield Teaching Hospitals news page.

(February 2026)

A Sheffield doctor leading the way in research for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and other gut disorders, including those linked to the brain, has won an international award.  

Dr Imran Aziz, Honorary Consultant Gastroenterologist at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Senior Lecturer at the University of Sheffield, was awarded the prestigious Cuthbertson Medal 2026 from the Nutrition Society. 

The Nutrition Society is awarded to scientists or clinicians at an early stage of their career for excellence in clinical nutrition and/or metabolism research providing an evidence base for clinical practice.  

It is the second time Sheffield has received the international honour, following Professor David Sanders’ award in 2011, cementing the city’s reputation as a leading centre for gastroenterology and clinical nutrition research in the UK. 

To read more, please visit the Sheffield Teaching Hospitals news page.

(February 2026)

Brain tumour research in the region is to be bolstered by a ground breaking £13.7m research partnership involving Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.  

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Brain Tumour Research Consortium brings hospitals, universities, cancer centres, charities and patients together in a UK-wide partnership, aiming to transform care and outcomes for people living with brain tumours and their families.  

Sheffield Teaching Hospitals is the sole site in South Yorkshire to be named in the consortium, which will help doctors and researchers understand the disease better, test new innovative treatments earlier, and make trials available to more adults and children closer to home. 

It will also support the development of the next generation of leaders in brain tumour research. This strengthens the UK as a key location for evaluating brain tumour treatments, both now and for the future.  

Brain tumours, especially aggressive types like glioblastoma, are among the hardest cancers to treat due to location, the brain's natural defences (which makes it difficult for many drugs to enter the brain and act on the tumour), their ability to spread rapidly and the complexity of brain cancer. 

To read more, please visit the Sheffield Teaching Hospitals news page.

(January 2026)

More than 1,000 expectant parents have signed up to a revolutionary genetic study at Jessop Wing which is helping to detect rare genetic illnesses in newborn babies.  

The Generation study is being led nationally by Genomics England in partnership with NHS England and aims to screen 100,000 newborn babies in England using a technology called whole genome sequencing for more than 200 rare genetic conditions. If detected early, these conditions, can be treated. 

Most babies will not be found to have any of the gene changes known to cause the genetic conditions tested for. However, for the small number of babies who are found to have a rare genetic condition the impact could be life changing.   

The long-term study is referenced in the NHS Ten Year Health Plan, and forms part of the Government’s plans to aid earlier detection and identify the potential for universal screening for rare disease at birth. It is open to all expectant parents and families giving birth at Jessop Wing. 

To read more, please visit the Sheffield Teaching Hospitals news page.

(January 2026)